I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 96: Qingxia God

Zhou Heng was immediately stunned upon hearing this, his expression one of shock as he stared at the stele, his eyebrows tightly knitted.

If this place was the Qingxia River, then what was the river he had just crossed?

Zhou Heng immediately mounted his horse and turned back.

However, all the way back to Yuyang County City, he saw no sign of any river again.

It was as if the boat ride he’d experienced across the river had all been a dream.

Extremely bizarre.

“What is going on, has someone silently befuddled my spirit perception, or has a powerful being created a temporary version of the Qingxia River out of thin air? But what would be the purpose of doing that?”

Zhou Heng was filled with uncertainty and astonishment, the encounter he just had was beyond his comprehension.

Could a river so wide it spanned over a hundred yards with no end in sight be a fake?

Yet the surging river waters, the rapid waves, all of it had been exceedingly real, nothing like an illusion.

“What exactly happened before?”

Zhou Heng was shocked into a cold sweat, the events that had just transpired were truly terrifying.

If it was man-made, it meant that if whoever did it had ill intentions, he wouldn’t even have known how he died.

After pondering for a while, he once again mounted his chestnut horse and followed the road, estimating the distance, until he arrived at the place where he had crossed the river last time.

Here was a patch of woods no different from the woods before or after, the road was even muddy due to the previous rain, as if it had always been like this, never a grand river, and no boats or boatmen.

Zhou Heng dismounted, closed his eyes, and stood there for a long time.

He felt nothing.

It was as if everything he had experienced before was truly a hallucination, and nothing was here.

“Could it be some sort of natural phenomenon akin to a mirage?” Zhou Heng suddenly thought of a possibility, murmuring, “It is said that the Qingxia River has changed its course many times over the long years; could it be that what I saw was actually the Qingxia River from the past?

“This world once had immortals, and it’s possible that any place could hold traces of ancient gods; the imprint of the former Qingxia River being left behind doesn’t seem impossible.

“But how to verify such a guess?… I wonder if these remnants, or imprints, count as some kind of object?”

With this thought, he was slightly hesitant, but after a moment, he used the only special skill card he had left on the empty space in front of him.

Disintegration Card!

“Disintegration Card: Can detach lower-level items from higher-level things without damaging the item itself.”

Whether it was ancient immortals or the traces and influences left by past Celestial Saints, or even just a natural phenomenon imprint, as long as it counted as an object, then the Disintegration Card would be able to successfully detach something.

Zhou Heng would be temporarily reassured.

Because that would mean his previous experience was not man-made, but rather he was merely influenced by something of a higher level that remained.

“Use Disintegration Card!”

“Congratulations! You have detached the spiritual object ‘Qingxia Snake Scale’jSect Fifth Rankjfrom the time imprint ‘Suppression of Qingxia God’ [Heaven Third Rank]!”

“Qingxia Snake Scale[Sect Fifth Rank]: This is a tiny scale that fell from the original form of the Qingxia God, possessing a strand of the Qingxia God’s power. It can be used to summon an unconscious historical projection of the Qingxia God during the Fifth Rank period, which lasts for three minutes.”

It really was some kind of entity!

Zhou Heng felt a surge of excitement in his heart and at the same time, he took a long breath of relief.

The originally oppressive mood suddenly became much smoother.

Then he noticed the description in the System’s prompt.

Time Imprint!

Suppression of Qingxia God!

Tian San rank!

This was a level he had never come into contact with before.

From a literal standpoint, it seemed that a long time ago, there was a “Qingxia God” who was suppressed here.

Was Qingxia River thus named because of this?

For some reason, some scenes from that era had produced time imprints and were “preserved.”

For instance, the surging Qingxia River and the boatman ferrying across the waters might all have been real scenes that had taken place here many years ago.

Previously, Zhou Heng must have come into contact with one of those “preserved” scenes from the past, which resulted in quite a strange experience.

In fact, similar stories are often found in many folktales.

It appears that this is not such an unusual occurrence.

“That’s a relief, that really gave me quite a fright earlier,” Zhou Heng patted his chest, regulated his breath, and thought to himself, “However, I should still consult someone about the time imprint situation.

“…Uh, maybe next time I meet Cheng Jianjian, or after I pass the examination and formally join the Pure Yang Sect.”

The experience he had before was too bizarre and too thrilling.

Even though he didn’t truly suffer any effects, he still felt a lingering sense of dread; it would be best to clarify this matter.

“This time it wasn’t entirely without gain, though,” Zhou Heng looked at the translucent, fingernail-sized blue scale in his palm and a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

“To be able to summon a Fifth Rank projection, this is like having a powerful assistant for a limited three minutes. But who exactly is this Qingxia God? Even the time imprint suppressing him is of Tian San rank, how powerful must his real body be?”

After joining the Pure Yang Palace later, I should be able to look up some information; maybe I’ll find some clues.

Zhou Heng then put away the snake scale, slapped the jujube-red horse beneath him, and galloped towards the real Qingxia River.

After all the turmoil, he had lost the urge to continue his journey and planned to return to Yuyang County City to find an inn to stay and rest for the night, starting again early the next morning.

But the thought of passing by the place where the time imprint existed on his way out the next day immediately made him dismiss the idea.

Better to cross the Qingxia River first.

The Qingxia River flowed gently.

Zhou Heng led his jujube-red horse onto a passenger boat, along with five others, three men and two women, all very young, around twenty years old, dressed as if they were adventurers.

They were all together and paid no attention to Zhou Heng at their side.

At the moment, Zhou Heng was dressed in a brown robe with a mustache stuck on his lips, his face smeared with dust, looking weary and dusty, his hair simply tied up with a rope.

To these young individuals, evidently eager to make their mark in the world and explore the mountains and rivers, such a person was of no interest to converse with.

This was the situation Zhou Heng had hoped for.

His true identity was now attracting too much attention, and once the martial arts rankings were released next month, things would likely explode even more. Keeping his identity hidden was not without its benefits.

The three men and two women stood at the prow, animated and lively, chatting and laughing.

Zhou Heng led his horse to the other end of the boat, from where he could overhear the five people’s conversation about the martial arts competition to be held in Yuan River Mansion half a month later.

It was said that top fifty martial artists from the rankings would appear; they were all quite excited and had agreed to go watch the spectacle together.

In their conversation, they also mentioned Zhou Heng from Huangtong Mansion City and expressed their admiration and envy.

Standing not far away, Zhou Heng felt a sudden envy towards these people as he listened to their conversation.

Traveling with companions and adventuring through the martial world seemed to be a rather nice feeling.

“Unfortunately, all I have by my side is this horse,” Zhou Heng said softly, stroking the reddish-brown horse, which snorted in response, though it was unclear whether out of disdain or affection.

Subsequently, he looked out over the waters of Qingxia River and the clear view before him and couldn’t help but think back on his previous experiences.

Back in the days marked by time, the waters of Qingxia River were turbulent and the view dim, all shrouded in a strange oppressive atmosphere, so different from the Qingxia River he saw now.

“One wonders how many years ago that was,” Zhou Heng mused, then approached the boatman who was ferrying them, and asked in a somewhat hoarse and deep voice, “Boatman, do you know why this Qingxia River is named as such?”

The boatmen who ferried across Qingxia River usually dedicated their lives to it and definitely knew a lot about the river.

“Eh?” The boatman turned his head to look at Zhou Heng.

He was an elderly uncle with white hair and a benevolent face, short and slightly hunched, appearing to be in his sixties or seventies.

“Young man, are you asking about the name of Qingxia River? Well, you’ve asked the right person,” the old boatman shook his head with the expression of someone about to tell a tale to a child, and said with a smile:

“Legend has it that, a very, very long time ago, there was no river here to begin with. A giant green snake was ravaging the area, proclaiming itself the Qingxia God, devouring many people and causing utter misery.

“The locals sought help from various distinguished figures, yet none could match the Qingxia God. Eventually, an old immortal passed by and eliminated the threat for the common folk, suppressing the giant green snake into the earth and transforming it into a great river, which is now Qingxia River.”

“To think this river has such an origin,” Zhou Heng couldn’t help but be astounded, his mind brimming with doubts.

He had initially speculated that the Qingxia God was suppressed in this river in the distant past and, after countless years, should have already died of old age.

The lack of any anomalies in Qingxia River over the years seemed to confirm this assumption.

But now, hearing the boatman’s story, he found that things might not be as they seemed.

The entirety of the river was supposedly a transformation of the Qingxia God.

If the river still flowed to this day, did it mean that the Qingxia God was still alive?

If the Qingxia God was still alive and the river remained stable, did that imply the “old immortal” who once suppressed the Qingxia God was also still alive?

And, was the boatman in the memories branded by time still alive?

Of course, this narrative was but the tale of the old boatman, more akin to a story passed down verbally than historical fact, yet it was enough to spark a multitude of speculations in Zhou Heng’s mind.

“Haha, old boatman, your story is quite interesting. What kind of giant snake could transform into such a long river as Qingxia?” a lighthearted female voice rang out, and a young girl approached.

She was one of the five people from the other side of the boat.

Clad in a red dress, she appeared to be eighteen or nineteen, with a pretty face, fair skin, a slender figure, and a delicate curved knife fastened to her waist.

Her demeanor exuded a lively and buoyant character.

“Haha, the young lady asked a good question. However, these are just the stories handed down by boatmen—I wouldn’t know that much,” the old boatman shook his head and continued rowing.

The young woman didn’t seem to mind, instead turning to look towards Zhou Heng, who was standing to the side.

She hadn’t originally taken any notice of this man.

After all, he was dressed ordinarily and didn’t seem like a martial arts expert, yet she had noticed his reddish-brown horse and felt that it wasn’t something an average person would possess.

This made her somewhat curious about Zhou Heng.

“Hey, Uncle, seeing as you have weapons in your pack, you must know some martial arts, right? Are you also heading to the martial arts tournament at Yuanhe Mansion City?” The young girl was rather forward and said with a smile: “My name is Sheng Xinrou. What’s your name, Uncle?”

Uncle?

Zhou Heng was slightly taken aback when he heard this and suddenly realized what his outfit implied. He shook his head and said, “My martial arts are not good, and I’m not really interested in the martial arts tournament.”

“Xinrou, come back here, don’t talk nonsense.” At this moment, the woman at the bow of the boat beckoned to Sheng Xinrou, telling her to come back.

“It’s okay to watch a martial arts contest even if you’re not good at it, you know; this tournament is pretty impressive, I highly recommend it,” Sheng Xinrou said cheerily, and then she returned to the other side of the bow.

No sooner had the young girl reached the other side than the woman pulled her aside and began whispering to her.

Zhou Heng, with his keen hearing, could listen in on their conversation.

“Xinrou, you lack experience in the jianghu. You don’t know what kind of situation people like that uncle are in; they are often the dispirited ones in the martial artists’ community who have not found success.

“These people are not strong in martial arts. Perhaps he, too, once yearned for a thrilling life in the jianghu with spirited friendships and rivalries, galloping horses and flaunting whips. But after a period of trials and setbacks, they realize their own level.”

“Look at him, even keeping his weapon in the pack. This clearly shows he’s lost all hope. Talking to him about a martial arts contest is just like ripping off his scabs; you could offend someone.”

The woman earnestly tried to advise Sheng Xinrou.

The girl, not fully understanding, cocked her head, glanced at Zhou Heng, and whispered, “So you mean to say, this uncle isn’t strong in martial arts, has been beaten down by the jianghu, and is probably going to give up his sword, seal away his blade, and return home to farm?”

“Don’t say it out loud!” The woman quickly covered Sheng Xinrou’s mouth and, coincidentally catching Zhou Heng’s gaze, could only show an embarrassed, apologetic smile.

Thud!

At this moment, as the boat glided past a reed marsh, it stopped at the ferry crossing.

The boatman announced with a smile, “We’ve reached the shore.”

Zhou Heng led his horse off the boat, and Sheng Xinrou and the others also got off, lowering their heads, trying to avoid Zhou Heng as much as possible.

“Ah!!”

Just then, a scream full of panic came from the middle of Qingxia River behind them.

“Oh no, a boat has capsized, people are in the water, and it’s in the middle of the river with no other boats nearby!” the boatman exclaimed as he looked back in alarm, hurriedly boarding to row out and rescue them.

Sheng Xinrou and the others also showed a hint of concern and exchanged glances, all prepared to dive into the river and swim over to save them.

But at that moment, out of the corner of their eyes, they saw the “uncle” suddenly leap toward the bank’s reeds.

Following that, he twirled his body in midair, snapped off a long reed, and with a flick sent it skimming across the river at a great speed.

Then, he flawlessly landed on the section of reed, speeding towards the site of the capsized boat along with it, as if riding the wind itself, surpassing the speed of all the boats.

One Reed Crosses the River!

On the bank, Sheng Xinrou and the others who were ready to swim, stood agape, mouths wide open, in disbelief as they watched the figure skimming across the river’s surface.

What happened to being weak in martial arts?

What about the disheartened man of the jianghu?

Is this it??